This invention relates to fans and to impellers and impeller housings.
A typical ceiling fan consists of radial fan blades attached to a central hub that is driven to rotate by an electric motor. The assembly of blades and hub is known as an impeller, and the electric motor is normally contained in an impeller housing of the hub. The impeller housing rotates along with the attached fan blades and is normally equipped with vents, which allow air to circulate around the electric motor for keeping it cool. Although skilled artisans have devoted considerable effort toward improving the general structure and function of ceiling fans, relatively little effort has been devoted to the venting structure of impeller housings and to improving the air management around the electric motors of ceiling fans. Thus, there is a need for an impeller housing that includes a vent structure that greatly enhances the air management and forced air flow around the electric motor of a ceiling fan for keeping the electric motor cool during operation.
The above problems and others are at least partially solved and the above purposes and others realized in a new and impeller comprising a plurality of fan blades attached to a housing mounted for rotation and an electric motor contained in a chamber bound by the housing for rotating the housing. The housing includes a vent structure comprising first and second groups of vents positioned along a substantially common plane and each for one of a) drawing air into the chamber and b)forcing air out of the chamber in response to rotation of the housing. The first group comprises first substantially equally spaced-apart blades that define adjacent first openings, and the first blades are directed for one of a) drawing air into the chamber through the first openings and b) forcing air out of the chamber through the first openings in response to rotation of the housing. The second group comprises second substantially equally spaced-apart blades that define adjacent second openings, and the second blades are directed for the other of a) drawing air into the chamber through the second openings and b) forcing air out of the chamber through the second openings in response to rotation of the housing. The first blades are substantially parallel relative to one another and substantially radially disposed, and the second blades are substantially parallel relative to one another and substantially radially disposed.